Trailer for Nickelodeon’s TMNT, coming in 2012

March 11, 2011 | Poe

Here’s the trailer for Nick’s upcoming 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show. I’m getting a cel-shaded CGI vibe, which…may…or may not work for me. Really not much to go on here, though.

Plus, the show is at least a year away, so this is very much a “teaser,” in pretty much every sense of the word.

Still, I’ve got my fingers crossed for the new toys. Will Playmates learn their lesson and finally give us fully-articulated 3.75″ and/or 6″ TMNT figures? They were moving in that direction when they cancelled all their TMNT product.

World of Quahog?

March 8, 2011 | Poe

As everyone else has already reported, Playmates Toys has picked up the Family Guy license. It looks like Playmates is trying to bottle lightning a second time, as the line appears to be designed almost identically to their late 1990s/early 2000s World of Springfield Simpsons line, right down to the talking playsets. (more…)

Mr. Potato Head drops weight, goes from spud to stud

February 27, 2011 | Poe

I missed this at Toy Fair, but apparently Hasbro unveiled a brand-new, slimmed down Mr. Potato Head called “Active Adventures Mr. Potato Head.” I’m all for encouraging kids to exercise more, but are we really going to blame the traditional Mr. Potato Head for encouraging childhood obesity?

That’s not fair. I’m making a logical fallacy here–just because Hasbro is introducing this “Active” Mr. Potato Head doesn’t mean they think the old MPH is a (ahem) couch potato. But still, this seems a bit like an excuse just to sell the public another Mr. Potato Head toy–and grab some good PR while they’re at it.

Also: maybe I’m just resistant to change, but I don’t like the pants. They look like maternity pants. The pants make him look fatter. Are we to assume that the classic MPH is so fat his pants are riding so low on his waistline only his shoes are visible? Or has he suddenly become sensitive about his spudity? I mean, nudity.

On a final note, who would you rather hang out with–MPH or NPH?

(Thanks to PrfktTear for the heads-up on this.)

Scarabus goes up for pre-order this Tuesday, March 1

February 26, 2011 | Poe

The 10-pack of the long, long-awaited Scarabus figure from the Four Horsemen’s FANtastic Exclusive goes up for pre-order this Tuesday. (I own the black/white variants from the Toypocalypse event, and they’re on my long, long list of backlogged reviews.) Looks like the figures themselves will arrive in June.

Details after the jump. (more…)

Last day to vote for Man-E-Faces’s colors

February 25, 2011 | Poe

Just a reminder–the poll about the colors for MOTUC Man-E-Faces ends today. Vote now!

The Four Horsemen and all four Roast Gooble hosts have stated they want the flesh-toned MEF. I voted for the middle ground, which should be classic Poe to those of you who know me personally. Anyway, barring a big last-minute surge, it looks the middle ground is going to win.

1,200 votes seems surprisingly low to me….far more action figures will be produced than there are people voting for it.

That said, we can always get the flesh-toned MEF in a DC vs. MOTU 2-pack with Two-Face–if those keep going. Given my inability to find on at any TRU anywhere, I’m not sure what the likelihood of that is.

Power-Con: The He-Man and She-Ra Convention

February 24, 2011 | Poe

News from He-Man.org:

Power-Con*, the first annual MOTU and POP fan convention in the US, is coming!
Tentatively scheduled for fall of this year, Power-Con is working with He-Man.org to help provide the best fan experience possible.

Power-Con wants to know what you’d like to see at a MOTU and POP fan convention!
Please check out this thread on the Org forums where you can post your feedback.

We’ll be posting more information as it develops!

*This convention is not sponsored by, or affiliated with Mattel, Inc. or Classic Media, Inc.

OK. So I’m not 100% sold on the name, though I’m not sure what else to call it. He-Con? MastersCon? GrayskullCon? Any of those would have been a bit more indicative of the actual subject of the convention…actually I like He-Con.

…but anyway, it’s a minor point. If this convention takes place at a reasonable distance from me, I will do my best to go and cover the event.

Aquaman vs. Mer-Man

February 19, 2011 | Poe

As many have pointed out, the art for the new DC vs. MOTU 2-packs is rather unimpressive. For example, here’s the Aquaman vs. Mer-Man art:

It’s just not very good. Aquaman’s right hand looks oddly twisted, his spear is an inch thick, Mer-Man sword is too narrow and the blades are parallel rather than inclined, and most importantly, Mer-Man is green. The whole point of the set is that he’s a blue repaint!

To show Mattel (or DC, since they provided the art) what the set could look like had they hired a more–experienced?–artist, former Masters of the Universe comic artist and walking MOTU encyclopedia Emiliano Santalucia produced his own version. Feast your eyes upon this, my friends.

(Click the image for a super-hi-res version)

Matty News Roundup

February 18, 2011 | Poe

Mattel has dropped a few bits of news here and there over the last few days, so I thought I’d round them up for you. (more…)